Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap, 5 oz. bars or 4 oz. bars?

  I am about to make Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap and will pour it into a mold when it is finished mixing. I can cut the soap to make it 4 ounces or I can cut it up to make it 5 ounces. I wonder which one is preferable? Either way, the soap will sell for $0.875 an ounce. I don't have to cut it up until Monday. Four ounce bars are $3.50 and the five ounce bars will be $4.25 ( a little discount) or, if they come out too uneven in size, I will sell them by the ounce. I haven't decided on a price for sample bars, but probably will go with $1.50.
   Some of the money made from the Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap goes to Sanctuary Ministries, a ministry that serves pregnant women who refuse to have an abortion.

Exciting News About Soap Wrapping

   I am getting ready to sell my soaps, but they have to be wrapped, which always produces more than one dilemma. When soap is being cured, it needs to be exposed to the air, and once it is cured, it should not be covered with anything that would keep air out.
  I have a few options on wrapping soap, but each one has a problem. I usually wrap my Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap in wrapping tissue, which provides the air it needs to have around it, but, the soap is completely covered in tissue and you can't see the finished product. To some people, that really doesn't matter though.
  In wrapping Fancy Soaps, the goal is to have the customers be able to see the shape of the soap, with all its unique details. If you wrap Fancy Soap with tissue, you can't see it, although the scent might still come through because the tissue is porous.
  One thing I have noticed is how some people sell their soaps with just a paper band around the bar of soap. I have been doing that and really like that idea, however, it is hard to put a band around the Fancy Soaps because of all the details that don't fit evenly under the band. Plus, it covers some, of not most, of the design of the soap!
  So, another idea is to wrap the Fancy Soaps with cellophane or cling wrap. But, as I already pointed out, covering soap with anything that is not porous will keep the air from circulating around the soap, and it could cause the oils to turn rancid, if left too long in the cellophane. But, I have overcome that problem! Tonight, as I was trying to wrap some odd shaped soaps, and being rather unsuccessful at it, I decided to wrap a rectangular shaped soap, but, I am leaving the sides open. I am not being a cheapskate when I do this, so when you see my soaps with the sides left open, you will know why.
  Leaving the sides uncovered helps keep the air around the soap bar more easily, plus, it lets you smell the scent of the soap. Also, if it is covered with cellophane, the design of the soap will show through! It looks very pretty and yet it will not suffocate.

New Soap Idea

   I was thinking about the different soaps I can make this week. What kind will be in demand most, and do I have enough in my reserve or will I have to make more. The soap that is in demand the most is the goat's milk-oatmeal soap so I find myself making this one more than any other type. However, a thought came to mind last night about another type of soap. I have never heard of soap made from sheep's milk, but then again, sheep's milk is hard to find.
   I am going to receive some sheep's milk this week, and might try using some to make a batch of sheep's milk-oatmeal soap. What do you think? Why I even have a mold for sheep!
   The cost of sheep's milk-oatmeal soap would be somewhat higher than goat's milk-oatmeal soap, mainly because of the cost of sheep's milk. If you have never tasted sheep's milk, you should try to find some. It is very sweet and creamy. It is more digestible than cow's milk.
  So, if you come to the Arts and Crafts Festival in November, that I am part of, you just might see some bars of sheep's milk-oatmeal soap. Of course, they will be in a bin all to themselves! I will report the results of making sheep's milk-oatmeal soap in a later blog.

New Soaps, New Sizes, Snow-globe Soap, and Strawberry Plants

  I am excited about the way the new size soap turned out. I made goat's milk-oatmeal soap in a different shape, turning out to be around 5 ounce bars. Something to wrap your hand around now. I also made, in the same shape and size, Volcano soap. These soaps will sell by the ounce. For example, a couple of bars are 4.75 oz, so I will sell them at .75 cents per ounce and will have them weighed out and wrapped with the price on them to sell. A bar with that weight comes out to $ 3.56 cents. A portion of the money made from the goat's milk-oatmeal soaps still goes to Sanctuary Ministries, which is there to serve women who will continue to carry their babies until they are ready to be born. Many will give their babies up for adoption (which is a great choice) while others will keep their babies and raise them themselves.
   I love the feel of the Volcano soap and it is really made with the product called, Pumice, which comes from volcanoes. It is an ingredient in Lava Soap as well. I have used Volcano Soap on my face, and my face is very sensitive to whatever touches it. However, I would not recommend you do this unless you feel comfortable trying it out. Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap does a good job on the face. In fact, I know one man who uses it to shave with!
  I finally got around to making the Snow-Globe Soap. It is a clear soap with a round ball inside (the ball has a picture inside it) and is shaped like a snow-globe. Next will come shell soap. It will be clear bar soap with shells (that are made out of soap also) inside that you can see.
   Finally, I am very excited to announce my tentative plan on starting a nursery. I will grow plants that will be sold locally. I am looking forward to planting Alpine Strawberries, which come in the colors of red, yellow, and white. They are smaller than regular strawberries, but I'm sure they taste good. They will be good to put into salads. Also, I will plant heirloom tomatoes. Everyone needs tomatoes, whether to make tomato sauce with, or salsa, or just to put into a salad or cut up and eat with mayonnaise! Yum!

Possible Products on the Horizon

   I love to live naturally, and as much as possible, independent from corporations. That is one reason why I make my own soaps. I also make my own butter, cream cheese, laundry detergent, among a few other things. As time goes on, I will learn how to make more homemade items that don't have to pass the FDA inspection, but I know will be totally safe and good for the consumer.
   I am not going to be able to sell my homemade butter or cream cheese, at least not at this point, but, there are a few things I can legally sell and make some profit from them.
   I will be able to sell cinnamon bread. Already, this is a favorite at garage sales. Unfortunately though, making this bread with wholesome ingredients isn't cheap. So, if the consumer is looking for a quick snack without regards to their health, and something cheap, my cinnamon bread might not provide what they want, but, there are many today who will look for something a step above the processed foods you can get at a convenience store. I will recalculate the cost for the loaves of bread, but will be selling them. Also, there is another possibility as well. This one is to make the bread from organic flour. Should I use that option, the price of the bread will be higher. Again, this is a time to recalculate. I want to give people a good deal on a good product. My desire is not to try to rip people off. It isn't wise to make a good product and sell it at a sky rocketing price just to make money from it. Also, I cannot mail the loaves of bread, but, if you live in the Orlando area, you can contact me if you want some. I can also have loaves of cinnamon bread made up if you want to preorder. Just let me know.

   But I am also excited about the possibility of selling potted plants! Growing plants has not been a good experience for me in the past, but I have tried again and this time, I am using the plant food that is used in hydroponic gardening and the results are fantastic! So, I am going to experiment with this one and will let you know what is on the horizon with this. Possible plants will be pepperocini peppers, purple jalapenos, German lunchbox tomatoes, and Amish paste tomatoes. Maybe even strawberry plants! I will let you know as soon as I get these things going.

Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap in New Shape and Size

Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap now comes in a new shape, and size. If my calculations are right, they should weigh around 5 ounces each. They come in the same scent as the 4 ounce bars; oatmeal, milk, and honey. Once they cure, I will wrap some of them in plastic so the soap will be visible to the customer.

Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap 5 ounce bars

   I will probably sell them by weight, but if they all come out to around 5 ounces each, I will sell them for $3.75/bar. Some of the proceeds will go to Sanctuary Ministries, which serves women who will not have an abortion, but will keep their babies or have them put up for adoption.

New Size and Shape for Goat's Milk-Oatmeal Soap

  I am trying an experiment. I am going to go more primitive in making the goat's milk-oatmeal soap tonight. The bars, if I calculate just right, will be 5 ounces instead of 4 ounces. They will still be rectangle but will be a little longer and thicker. So, now those of you who want a little bit bigger bar, here you go.... I'll have to send pics up later.
  They will still have the oatmeal milk scent and some of the proceeds will still go to Sanctuary Ministries, a ministry that supports moms who do not choose to abort their child.